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Hleðslutækið er í bílnum og rafhlaðan er tóm líka.

Hleðslutækið er í bílnum og rafhlaðan er tóm líka.
The charger is in the car and the battery is empty too.
FromLesson 15inHardcore Icelandic

Breakdown of Hleðslutækið er í bílnum og rafhlaðan er tóm líka.

vera
to be
bíllinn
the car
líka
too
í
in
og
and
tóm
empty
hleðslutækið
the charger
rafhlaðan
the battery

Questions & Answers about Hleðslutækið er í bílnum og rafhlaðan er tóm líka.

Why do the nouns have those endings (-ið, -num, -an)? Are they “the”?

Yes. Icelandic adds the definite article as an ending:

  • Neuter: -ið → hleðslutækið = the charger (indefinite: hleðslutæki)
  • Masculine: -inn (but dative -num) → bílnum = in the car (dative definite of bíll, “car”)
  • Feminine: -an → rafhlaðan = the battery (indefinite: rafhlaða)
Why is it “í bílnum” and not another case?

The preposition í (“in/into”) governs:

  • Dative for location (being somewhere): í bílnum = in the car.
  • Accusative for motion/direction (into): í bílinn = into the car. Your sentence is about location, so dative (bílnum) is correct.
Why is the adjective “tóm” (empty) not “tóma” with a definite noun?

Because it’s a predicative adjective (after “is”), and predicative adjectives normally take the strong endings. For “empty”:

  • Masculine nom sg: tómur
  • Feminine nom sg: tóm
  • Neuter nom/acc sg: tómt Here, rafhlaðan is feminine, so tóm is right. If you put the adjective directly before a definite noun (“the empty battery”), you use the weak form: tóma rafhlaðan.
Where should I put “líka” (also/too)? Is “tóm líka” okay?

Both are acceptable, but the most neutral is to put “líka” earlier:

  • Very natural: Rafhlaðan er líka tóm.
  • Also possible (slightly more end-weighted): Rafhlaðan er tóm líka. Placing “líka” early tends to sound smoother in standard usage.
Can I drop the second “er” and say “... og rafhlaðan tóm líka”?

No, you generally need the verb again: ... og rafhlaðan er tóm líka. If you drop the adjective and say ... og rafhlaðan líka, it will be understood as “and the battery is (in the car) too,” which changes the meaning.

What genders are the nouns here, and how does that affect agreement?
  • hleðslutæki (charger): neuter → definite hleðslutækið
  • bíll (car): masculine → dative definite bílnum
  • rafhlaða (battery): feminine → nominative definite rafhlaðan The adjective tóm agrees with the feminine subject (rafhlaðan), so it’s feminine nominative singular strong: tóm.
What does “hleðslutæki” literally mean?

It’s a compound:

  • hleðsla = charging (noun) → genitive singular hleðslu- as a linking form
  • tæki = device/tool (neuter) So hleðslutæki = “charging device,” i.e., a charger. The definite singular is hleðslutækið.
Is “rafhlaða” the only word for “battery”? What about “batterí”?

You can use either:

  • rafhlaða (feminine, native word): Rafhlaðan er tóm.
  • batterí (neuter, loanword): Batteríið er tómt. Choose one and keep agreement consistent.
Why is “rafhlaðan” in the nominative?
Subjects of finite verbs are in the nominative by default. Both Hleðslutækið and rafhlaðan are subjects of er (“is”), so they’re nominative. bílnum is dative because it’s the object of the preposition í (location).
Could I say “Hleðslutækið er inni í bílnum”?

Yes. inni í adds the nuance “inside (inside) the car,” reinforcing interior location. It’s common and idiomatic:

  • Hleðslutækið er inni í bílnum.
How would I say “The charger is in my car”?

Add a possessive after the noun, keeping case:

  • Hleðslutækið er í bílnum mínum. Possessives in Icelandic usually follow the noun they modify.
Is the word order just like English?

Yes here: Subject–Verb–(Prepositional Phrase), and then another clause joined with og (“and”). Icelandic is a V2 language in main clauses, but when the subject comes first, it looks like English SVO:

  • Hleðslutækið (S) er (V) í bílnum (PP).
  • Rafhlaðan (S) er (V) tóm (Adj).
What’s the present tense of “vera” (to be), as used in “er”?
  • ég er
  • þú ert
  • hann/hún/það er
  • við erum
  • þið eruð
  • þeir/þær/þau eru Your sentence uses the 3rd person singular er.
Could I use “á” instead of “í” with “bílnum”?

No, not for “in the car.” Use:

  • í bílnum = in the car (interior)
  • á bílnum = on the car (on its surface) So Hleðslutækið er í bílnum is correct here.
Any quick pronunciation tips for the tricky letters?
  • hl- in hleðslutækið/rafhlaðan: the h makes the l voiceless; it sounds like a whispery “l.”
  • ð: like the soft th in English “this.”
  • æ: like English “eye.”
  • í: a long “ee.”
  • ó: like “owe.” Stress is on the first syllable of each word: HLEÐ-slutækið, BÍL-num, RAF-hlaðan, TÓM, LÍK-a.
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